May 3 Matador | 牛骨らぁ麺マタドール本店

Style: Beef RamenBowl to Crush: Zeitaku Yaki-Gyu Ramen (贅沢焼牛らぁ麺)

Master Iwatate-san opened Matador in 2011, just as a mini boom in gyukotsu ramen was sweeping Tokyo. Matador immediately placed itself at the forefront of the nascent scene by winning a bevvy of awards from ramen critics and Tokyo food magazines.

Plainly put, this is the best gyukotsu ramen (beef bone broth) we've ever had. Nothing else comes close. Gyukotsu ramen is notoriously difficult to pull off, as beef-based soup easily becomes overpowering or takes on an icky sweetness. Getting the balance right in the bowl is said to be very tricky. Matador is lights-out. The shoyu ramen is recommended for first-timers here, but everything on the menu — shoyu ramen, shio ramen, tsukemen, Taiwan ramen, abura soba, and more — is delicious. All of the dishes use beef for the soup stock. All of the dishes are beast.

Aside from his wizardry with beef bones, Iwatate-san also has the gift for choosing outstanding ingredients. He orders his noodles from Mikawaya-seimen, a noodle specialty company that supplies elite shops across Japan. Every detail in the bowl is on-point. The egg is perfectly hardboiled: firm in the sticks, but with a gloriously gooey yolk. Two huge slices of fresh roast beef top it off. Fuck yeah, just dive into that. We could go to this shop again and again and again. When Iwatate-san pulls the noodles out of the boiling water, it sort of looks like he's doing a little dance as he shakes them out. We love it.

Matador is a top option for non-pork eaters, since it's all-beef. In 2013, Iwatate-san opened a second shop in Kita-Senju, about a five-minute walk from Matador. The new branch serves gyukotsu-miso ramen. It's also a knockout.